“The Pursuit Of Happyness” for Positive Thinking

What is happiness for you? Can you claim to be a happy person or do you pursue that ever elusive happiness?

While there is no dearth of advice on how to find happiness, cinema has been a great source of escape from the real into the reel.

It cannot be said with certainty whether you can find happiness in a work of cinema but I have long since wanted to talk about this one.

Every once in a while you chance upon a movie that stays with you. A movie with the literal meaning “The Puruit Of Happyness”.

Happyness with a Y not an I.

We all have our likes and dislikes , this movie I would not recommend for the critical or popular acclaims but for the mere story of a common human being.

The story of decisions gone wrong, situations spiralling out of control.

The story of a father who diligently fights against all odds but doesn’t loose sight of hope.

THE MOVIE

Starring: Will Smith

Jaden Smith

Released: 2006

The movie is an adaptation of the memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness. This film is a biographical account based on entrepreneur Chris Gardner.

Will Smith plays the character of Chris Gardner and Jaden Smith plays the son. There are no doubts about the acting prowess of both these amazing actors. They will have you rooting for them throughout the movie.

Now, why the “Y” in happiness?

The protagonist Chris goes to drop his young son to a day care where he notices the spelling of happiness spelled with a Y and repeatedly points the mistake to the employees of the day care but to no avail. Hence the Y in the happiness.

THE PLOT:

The movie is set in the America of 1981, where Gardner a salesman tries to earn a living by selling medical bone density scanners. He invests all in this business and dreams of making it big.

When the business falls through he is rendered homeless with his small son to take care of.

As the saying goes “I,m grateful to those who left me, they made me realize I could do it alone”.

Alone, nearly broke and with a small child in tow Gradner tries very hard to keep it all together.

He pursues his dream of becoming a stockbroker and signs up for an unpaid internship all the while trying to make ends meet.

There are moments in the movie that move you to tears. Gardner’s life hits an all time low to the point that he is forced to spend a night locked in the subway washroom with his kid.

What amazes me through out the movie is Gardner’s perseverance to carry on. At certain points when you might feel this is the last straw, the man dusts himself and gets back up again.

He never begs for help or reveals the desperation of his situation to the world in general.If anything he proves to be a great parent under the given circumstances, cushioning his kid from all the hardships the best he could.

After many setbacks Gardner wins the internship to become a stockbroker.

The epilogue reveals that Chris Gardner went on to establish his own multimillion dollar brokerage firm.

Throughout the movie you rally for Gardner and exult in his well deserved success.

WHY I RECOMMEND THE MOVIE:

I recommend the movie for its honest emotions more than anything. The story chronicles a series of events that are so relatable, a pattern so common in life.

The heart breaking failures and small successes that seem with in grasp but somehow slip through the fingers.

A story that speaks volumes about coming out better armed from a bad situation. It talks about all those barely perceptible small wins that seem like nothing but at the end amount to a goal achieved.

In life there are no guarantees we will have a positive outcome of all our choices but what defines our life is the ability to encounter the uncomfortable.

Above anything the movie talks about dreams and hope, dignity and dedication.

I recommend everyone to watch this movie to understand giving up is not an option. Maybe the next step is the one that would lead you to your dreams.

So go ahead and watch “The Pursuit Of happiness” and let me know what you think of it.